Masakhane has no water, and water for cooking and drinking purposes gets delivered by a truck from the municipality twice a week. Water get stored in plastic 'scoops' and often gets contaminated by dust etc. Hygiene related illnesses are a problem because of the lack of fresh water. There is a small stream nearby where the women of the community go to do their washing in summer. Sometimes, when the water truck doesn't deliver water for a while, the community gets their drinking water from this stream. This increases the risk of hygiene related illness such as diahroea, dysentry etc.The poor state of the access road to Masakhane has a detrimental effect on a number of factors affecting this settlement. Public health care services, such as the mobile clinic or ambulances cannot reach the settlement when it has been raining. As mentioned above, the water truck often fails to deliver water due to the state of the road. One of the very first things the community worked together on was in fixing this access road. Women and men carried large stones on their heads and even children helped to carry sand and stones in buckets to fix the road.
There is a need for a community centre for this community. A recent literacy program, run by the Department of Educationa has failed to provide this community with literacy skills because learners had to walk 5 km every day to get to the school where the program was presented.A number of the mothers of small children are unable to engage in income generating activities, because there is no creche facilities for small children. A community centre could be used as a creche where babies and toddlers could be kept busy and looked after while the mothers pursue productive activities.
Masakhane is an informal settlement and all dwellings are zink shacks. These structures are not water - or wind proof and get very cold in winter and wet when it rains in summer. There is no electricity at the settlement and food gets prepared on wood fires in outside lean to's. Wood for these fires are scarce and the women of the community spend a lot of their time looking for wood. The community borders a game reserve where lions are kept. The woman sometimes go into the lion camp to get wood for their fires especially in winter when it is very cold.
Malnutrition is a problem in Masakhane and is linked to poverty. The lack of water in the settlement means that people cannot grow their own vegetables. malnutrition causes problems such as low immunity to disease in kids and adults, cognitive developmental problems in children and exarcebates the effects of hygiene related illness and HIV/AIDS.
Some of the community members engage in income generating activities such as cutting grass for thatching, but there is a serious skills shortage in the settlement. Litteracy levels are very low and employment in the area is very scarce. Masakhane is situated in an area where a transition from agricultural activities to hospitality related ventures are taking place. This has reduced the need for unskilled farm workers. Residential development in the area could provide some employment opportunities for skilled builders, tilers etc. while the restaurants and tourist accomodation in the area could make use of waiters, barmen, cleaning staff, kitchen staff etc. Nature reserves in the area could provide work for people trained as nuture guides, trackers etc. Skills training, life skills orientation and litteracy training could provide the members of this community with the opportunities they need to be able to become self sustaining and empowered.
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